This fresh and colorful vegan BBQ Chickpea Salad is so flavorful! It's tossed with a homemade avocado ranch dressing, then topped with tender, warm chickpeas simmered in BBQ sauce. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This is a plant-based version of the classic BBQ Chicken Salad! It's easy to assemble, and packed with flavor and protein.
The colorful chopped salad is tossed with a homemade vegan ranch dressing. (Or you can simply use your own favorite ranch.)
Then we top it with tender, warm chickpeas simmered in BBQ sauce. (Yum!) It's great for lunch, dinner, take-along lunches, meal prep, etc.
Ingredients for BBQ Chickpea Salad
For this recipe you will toss together:
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): We use these for the chicken replacement. Chickpeas have a tender, hearty texture and are rich in plant-based protein and fiber.
- BBQ sauce: Use your own favorite BBQ sauce for this recipe, either homemade or store bought. (I like using my easy homemade BBQ Sauce.)
- Romaine lettuce
- Cooked sweet corn: You can either use cooked fresh, canned, frozen, or fire-roasted.
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes: Or roma tomato, plum tomato, or other garden tomatoes. I like cherry or grape tomatoes best in this recipe for their rich, sweet flavor.
- Shredded carrots
- Green onion (scallion): Or you can use red onion for a stronger onion flavor.
- Avocado ranch dressing: See the recipe below for my homemade vegan avocado ranch dressing, or simply use your own favorite ranch dressing.
Want more ranch? Check out this Vegan Ranch Dressing that's made with either cashews or tofu!
Storing
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
To keep it fresh and crisp: Store the prepared dressing, BBQ chickpeas, and salad separately. Then toss the three together when you're ready to serve.
If stored separately, we find it keeps well for about 3-4 days.
Dressing note: We usually have a little dressing left over. But I like using it on other salads or as a veggie dip! It keeps for about 3 days in the fridge.
For more inspiration, also browse all salad recipes or chickpea recipes.
BBQ Chickpea Salad with Avocado Ranch
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can chickpeas
- 2/3 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 large head romaine
- 1 cup cooked sweet corn (canned, frozen, or cooked fresh)
- 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2-3 green onions
For the avocado ranch:
- 1 avocado (peeled and pitted)
- 1 cup almond or soy milk (plain and unsweetened)
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill (or 1-2 Tbsp. fresh dill)
- 1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 1-2 Tbsp. fresh parsley)
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- Salt to taste
- Optional: fresh chives
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a blender or food processor, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary.
- Rinse and drain chickpeas. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer chickpeas in BBQ sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Feel free to add a splash of vegetable broth or water to slightly thin the sauce if desired.)
- Meanwhile, chop the romaine, tomatoes, and green onion. Place in a bowl. Add corn and carrots. Toss to combine.
- When ready to assemble, distribute the salad into bowls, toss with desired amount of dressing, and top with warm BBQ chickpeas.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
If you are enjoying this vegan BBQ Chickpea Salad recipe with avocado ranch, also check out:
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Jennifer
This was a very tasty salad! The flavours were very complimentary to each other… and the dressing!! Wow! So good! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
BTW, do you happen to have a homemade bbq sauce recipe?
Kaitlin
So great to hear you enjoyed the flavors in this one, Jennifer! I don't have a BBQ sauce recipe posted yet, although I've been testing many and just haven't landed on my favorite yet to share. Hopefully I'll get one up soon as it's been high on my priority list! 🙂
Clarissa
Thank you for this recipe! It was delicious. I added the juice from half of a lime to the dressing and it was so good. The salad was also great with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
Kaitlin
Hi Clarissa! That's awesome to hear, and great call with the lime juice in the dressing and added cheese! Thanks so much for sharing your kind and helpful feedback. 🙂
Jessica
This is so fresh, flavorful, and filling. Thank you for sharing!
Kaitlin
Great to hear you enjoyed!
S.Renae
What size avocado do you recommend?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! I based this on an average/medium avocado. If yours is extra big or small, feel free to adjust the other amounts slightly to get the texture as desired.
Victoria
My family is half vegetarian and half meat-eaters. I made this with the chickpeas and bbq chicken (for those who eat chicken). Everyone LOVED it and said we didn't even need the chicken. Getting added to the recipe rotation for sure! Thank You!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's great! Thanks for sharing!
Tasha Willett
I just made this for lunch and it was awesome! I had all the ingredients except tomatoes but I will add those in next time. This recipe is a keeper.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks for sharing your kind feedback!
Melissa Dressely
Very easy to make, and i had most of the ingredients on hand. Delicious!!! The dressing is creamy and thick.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful!
Anonymous
We had this for dinner tonight and loved it!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear!
Carmen
Just made this for lunch...so good!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Awesome, Carmen! Thanks for sharing!
Everyday Foodie
Made this earlier this week and had the leftovers tonight (each part stored separately) and it's super yummy!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
JM
Loved it! Thank you for restoring our faith in plant-based eating! (We started eating this way just over a month ago and have had a lot of "ok" meals.)
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Hope you find some other recipes you love just as much!
Gina Holmes
This was excellent. Looking forward to trying many more of your recipes.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful, thanks for the kind feedback!
Mandy
I made this for dinner the other night and my husband and I gobbled it up. Another great recipe! Thank you! Your recipes have consistently been some of our favorite vegetarian/vegan meals.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's so great to hear! Thank you!
Ali
Can I use regular white vinegar in this? I couldn't find white wine vinegar at my grocery store.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Ali! I'd try rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you have either of those. Otherwise a little white vinegar would probably be okay too! Start with a smaller amount and add more to taste if needed.